


Touch

by aritomi



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi Keiji Is So Done, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bokuto Koutarou Being Bokuto Koutarou, Drama & Romance, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Future Fic, Lots of Touching, M/M, Minor Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romantic Comedy, Sad Oikawa Tooru, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23309470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aritomi/pseuds/aritomi
Summary: "Sometimes, reaching out and taking someone's hand is the beginning of a journey.At other times, it is allowing another to take yours."
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 21
Kudos: 98





	1. Face

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello, hello! Here I am again, adding another material to the ridiculously few stories in the OiKuro tag because I have more time now lol
> 
> This is much more mature and a little bit heavier than _Switch_ since the characters are older now. But please don’t expect any nasty scenes from me! LOL! I’ve always wanted to write about some topics that will be touched here. 
> 
> Anywaaaaaay, just go on and read!

_“Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires…”_

“...And a touch that never hurts.”

Tooru stares at the specific line in the Charles Dickens book he’s reading, and lets out a scoff. _’Easy to say,’_ he bitterly thinks as he places it back in his shoulder bag, and starts walking faster.

Stopping before a widely-opened metal gate, Tooru takes in his surroundings for a moment, memories of his first day here suddenly flashing back.

They say spring is the season of new beginnings. The season that comes right after a freezing, harsh winter to give you the chance to change things for the better. With the clear blue skies welcoming your sight, the gleeful songs of birds after finding their way back home whispering in your ears, the gentle, cool breeze brushing on your skin, and the fresh scent of blooming flowers wafting through the wind, anyone’s spirits will surely be lifted up to take on a new day.

In a way, Tooru had also chosen to start anew during the spring, after going through more than a whole year of dark, relentless winter when fate had stripped him of a dream; a goal to work on. Forced to stray too far from the path he had always desired.

And now, his soul just feels empty now.

Excited chatter fills the room the moment he strides in. He wordlessly stands behind the desk and puts down his laptop, making everyone completely turn their attention to him. With a practiced smile, he greets everyone in English, “I am Oikawa Tooru, and you’re very lucky to have me as your homeroom teacher this school year!”

  
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The class assigned to him is Class 1-A of the High School Division. He was finally chosen to handle a freshman class this year, even when he has started working for them only a year ago. Well, it’s just right that the admins of Nippon International School recognize the power of his superior charms. 

For now, he only teaches middle school and high school students, who are taking advanced English classes, which he is capable of teaching. His English skills have gotten a lot better ever since he had started living in Argentina. Plus, he graduated with a degree in English Language Studies, so he was accepted into the school quickly. Good thing, the students, especially the females, easily warm up to him. It usually takes a little more time for him to get into the boys’ favor, though.

Ultimately, he became one of the most popular teachers in the school that even students from the lower divisions know him.

“Tooru! We’re in Class 2-C. Are you teaching our class this term too?” A group of his female students crowd around him while he walks down the hallway, smiling at every student who greeted him.

Tooru checks his schedule and smiles apologetically at the girls, “I’m afraid not. I only have classes in 2-A and D.” The disappointed whines that come after make him chuckle. He had missed getting this kind of attention from high school girls, except that he cannot date them this time because he is a teacher now!

He just keeps going along what the students want from him. They want him to be charming, he smiles at them. They want him to give them his attention, he entertains them with some made-up story. That way, he won’t have to deal with any student-related problems.

That’s what he has been doing anyway. He has given up defying his fate. He has just been going along whatever future is destined for him. He’s not even looking for his soulmate anymore; destiny will bring them together, whether he likes it or not. He just hopes his soulmate is someone he’d like.

“And I'll see you...”

"LATER!"

Tooru freezes hearing that awfully familiar coordinated cheer from class 1-D. He attempts to walk faster, but is stopped when he hears his name from the last person he wants to talk to right now.

“Yo, Oikawa! It’s been a long time, huh!”

Tooru rolls his eyes; they literally just saw each other this morning at the faculty room. He wears an unimpressed expression before turning to the tall and lean General Science and Chemistry teacher with atrocious dark hair.

“Too long that I have completely forgotten about your existence.” He fakes a smile to the grinning man, who, as usual, isn’t affected by it.

The other man dramatically gasps and clutches his chest, “My, you wound me, Grand King! Am I not remarkable enough for thy presence?!”

He is about to shoot back a scalding retort, but he hears some female students squeal and whisper excitedly to each other.

“Tooru and Tecchan are at it again!”

“Call the girls! We’re having a _KuroOi_ moment!”

“I love it when they fight! Don’t you feel the _tension?_ ”

“I got you! I’m recording it!”

The boys from 1-D are also cheering from afar!

_“Tecchan! Tecchan! Tecchan!”_

“Get out of my sight.” After shooting the other teacher with a deadly glare, he turns around and dashes towards the stairs to go to his next class.

“Aaaaand Tecchan wins this round! It’s 46-45!” What a way to ruin his day, no, year -- and only Kuroo Tetsurou, that obnoxious creature, can do it. Not even Tobio, nor Ushijima had ever annoyed him as bad as Kuroo does.

Kuroo is a former high school volleyball player from Tokyo _and_ is closely acquainted with _Karasuno_ , of all teams in Japan. In fact, the bastard is still in contact with Karasuno’s bratty blocker, who actually ended up being Tobio’s lover. So now, Tobio knows where he is working!

Kuroo was everything he had wanted to avoid when he decided to work in Yokohama, instead of his hometown. He was supposed to live there peacefully without someone from his past haunting him every day, thinking Tobio and Ushiwaka were always busy with volleyball anyway for him to coincidentally bump into them in such a big city. But then again, Tooru is not someone who easily backs down, so he didn’t resign.

Also, Kuroo is a cunning, sarcastic jerk. They instantly got on the wrong foot. Kuroo has given him an indescribable look as they were introduced during his first day, and immediately asked him about Karasuno when the Head Faculty mentioned his hometown. That was already a red flag.

There’s just something about Kuroo that makes his blood boil, and he knew Kuroo felt it towards him as well.

And ever since Kuroo learned Shrimpy’s horrible nickname for him, the jerk had been calling him that consistently to taunt him, that even some of his students tend to call him that as well. Due to his mischievous quirks, Kuroo is more popular among boys and younger students. That's why he has more classes in the Elementary and Middle School Divisions. 

But for some absurd reason, probably fate playing with his sanity, Kuroo was assigned as the homeroom teacher of a first-year class in the high school division, too!

Worse, their students “ship” the two of them, referring to them as _KuroOi._ He was completely offended that Kuroo’s name was placed first. Do they think Tooru would be the more submissive one?! Over his alive, and very sexy body.

To the brats, two _handsome, sexy_ teachers (their words, not his) constantly at each other’s throats is like a “BL” manga plot brought to life. He and Kuroo were horrified at the thought when they first heard about it, but in the end, they just let the students be. It is never going to happen, anyway.

Nonetheless, he thinks Kuroo would be too petty a reason for him to submit the resignation letter he has always kept in his bag. There is no way he will be giving up anything for that bastard.

  
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“Great job on our first day of class!” The principal concludes their meeting, prompting everyone in the faculty room to clap their hands and resume their tasks. It’s all chaos in the room again; teachers cleaning up their tables and walking around the room, and students coming in to talk to some of their teachers.

On the first day of classes, teachers normally don’t have any extra work to do, so Tooru has been preparing his bag to leave when he feels a gentle touch on his back. He automatically smiles up at the newest English teacher, a cute young woman assigned to the Elementary Division.

“Yes?” He politely asks after a few seconds waiting for her to say something. She seems taken aback; her cheeks suddenly turn red, and then she starts stuttering.

“Oya? Were you testing if Oikawa’s your soulmate?” The person beside him says.

Unfortunately, his desk is placed next to Kuroo’s. 

The poor new teacher squeaks and denies it, claiming she just wanted to ask him about something but forgot what it was. Too embarrassed, the woman hurries back to her desk and avoids looking his way.

“Must you always be mean to new teachers?” Tooru addresses Kuroo, although he was a teeny tiny bit thankful to Kuroo for interrupting. He’s had several people try different ways to touch him to find out if they are soulmates, and it was really uncomfortable to see their disappointed looks after. That’s why you don’t have to _look_ for your soulmate.

See, centuries ago, humans have discovered that their soul is connected to someone else's, regardless of their gender. That person is supposed to be one who can form and share a strong bond with you, romantically or platonically. They fill each other's gap in life, something like that. Hence, the term “soulmates” was coined. You will get to know who that person is by touching. They said you will feel something different whenever you touch.

The heightened sensations per couple vary. Some feel incredibly light, insanely happy, sleepy, aroused, or even uncomfortably heavy—the last one usually applies to soulmates who are actually destined to be enemies. As crazy as it sounds, they do exist.

Could Kuroo be his soulmate/destined enemy? Come to think of it, they have never even touched yet and he is already feeling so much irritation towards him, so what more when they actually do touch? Well, he just has to keep staying away from Kuroo, then. He doesn't need to know that his soulmate is his enemy.

“Oi, Oi, Oi, Oikawa.”

Tooru almost falls from his chair after finding Kuroo’s face extremely close to his. They were almost touching!

“What the hell?” Tooru breathlessly asks. He had nearly jumped out of his skin right there!

Laughing, Kuroo leans back on his chair and crosses his legs. The other teachers have already gotten used to them arguing, so they no longer pay attention to them.

“My friends and I are having a 2-on-2 volleyball practice match this Sunday. My best friend won’t play with me, so I thought of inviting you instead.”

How many times have Tooru declined Kuroo’s invitation to play volleyball? Why can’t this bastard get a hint that he doesn’t want to play volleyball anymore?

“Before you say no,” Kuroo adds, “They're not Tsukki and Kageyama.”

As if that is enough to make him say yes. “Still a no.”

“Even if you get a chance to beat me and make me do everything you want for a day?”

Well, that certainly catches his attention. “...I’m listening.”

Kuroo grins widely. Tooru suddenly wants to back out. He can hear the warning alarms in his head.

“One’s a wing spiker, the other’s a setter. I’ll pair up with the setter. I’m telling you, the spiker’s crazy good. I bet you’ll have fun tossing to him. You probably know him, too. But he’s not acquainted with your two favorite people.”

“Call them my favorite people one more time and I will never listen to you again.” Tooru argues back. “Anyway, make the punishment duration to a week.”

“Three days.”

“Four days.”

“Two days, with free breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

“Three days, free breakfast and lunch.”

Kuroo grins even wider, revealing sharp fangs-like teeth, and extends his hand out to him for a shake. “Deal.”

Tooru looks at the tanned hand that seems larger than his. He remembers his theory that Kuroo could be his destined enemy, and he will find out once he accepts the handshake.

But somehow, he’s scared to know.

“Oya? Are you testing if I am your soulmate?” Tooru teases him instead, almost sighing in relief when Kuroo pulls his hand back and looks at him, stunned. Then, Kuroo hastily covers his mouth and looks away. Didn’t expect that comeback, huh? Someone is caught off-guard by his quick wit!

“I’ll just tell you the details some time this week after confirming with my friends.” Kuroo stands up, grabbing his backpack.

Kuroo turns to him, "And I'll see you..."

Tooru simply goes back to packing up, smirking when he hears Kuroo snort and leave the room after bidding goodbye to the other teachers. A few minutes later, Tooru grins smugly as he leisurely picks his bag up.

_46-46, bastard._

  
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It is already Friday night when he realizes Kuroo has forgotten to tell him the details of the game on Sunday.

  
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Saturday morning, while he is doing the laundry, he receives a text from an unknown number telling him to come to a park near the school at 6 in the morning tomorrow.

And that he got his number from Tobio, who got it from Iwaizumi.

See, he never really gets angry at his best friend. It’s always the other way around. But Iwaizumi has some explaining and apologizing to do this time.

_From: Jerk Hair_

_Message: Oh, and it's 47-46 now, GK._

  
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In the end, Iwaizumi was of no help at all. The traitor wasn't even apologetic for his actions and was basking in his suffering. It seems Tobio told Iwaizumi that Kuroo was asking for Tooru’s number, and since Iwaizumi knew Kuroo from his rants, Iwaizumi willingly gave it to Tobio! _Top 1 Anime betrayal!_

Now, he is angrily jogging to the meeting place. After getting off the train, Tooru decided to just go there by foot to warm-up and save more time.

He's wondering about Kuroo's friends, though. Kuroo said he probably knows one of them. It means he must be a professional player. But there are many pro players who studied in Tokyo, so who could it be?

Although he doesn’t play pro volleyball anymore, he really agreed to this after finding out that the spiker is a famous one. It’s been a while since he last played, and even if it’s just for a few hours, he would like to experience tossing again to a good spiker. After all, it’s one of the few things that truly satisfies him. Defeating Kuroo and enslaving him are just the bonus.

Just as he is nearing the park, he sees Kuroo with two other men doing spiking warm-ups on the court. The shortest among them, a slim black-haired guy, is tossing to a very familiar burly man with gray, spiky hair. The loud and sharp sound of a hand hitting the ball has him rooted to his spot.

Suddenly, every inch of his skin tingles, his fingers twitching impatiently at the display of power. A wide smile breaks out as a familiar rush of adrenaline fills his body. He can’t believe Kuroo is friends with Bokuto Koutarou!

It has truly been a long time since this happened, so he makes sure to compose himself first before heading over to the court with nearly wobbly knees. Too bad Kuroo is the one who notices him.

“Ah, the Grand King is here!” Kuroo gestures for Bokuto and the setter to face him. Tooru shoots Kuroo a—hopefully—menacing glare. On the other hand, Bokuto’s face visibly brightens, and he can’t help but relax around the presence of the volleyball superstar, which is a first, considering he’s been distancing himself from volleyball players. Must be because of his interesting owl-like eyes and friendly demeanor.

“Hey, hey, hey, Oikawa! I’m Bokuto! Nice to meet ya! Heard lots about ya!” Bokuto none-too-gently puts a hand on his shoulder, but Tooru barely flinches; he is used to being on the receiving end of Iwaizumi’s equally heavy arm attack.

“If they came from Kuroo, they are all lies.” He immediately responds. This appears to be hilarious to Kuroo, since he has the audacity to look proud of it.

“Heard you are a setter! That’s so cool! Oh, speaking of setters, here’s my boyfriend, Akaashi!” Bokuto declares while pulling the quiet dark-haired man forward. “The best setter in the world! No offense.”

Holy crap, he’s the sweetest thing. Lucky Akaashi!

“Please don’t mind him.” A blushing Akaashi said while gently putting his hand on Bokuto’s face. “I am Akaashi Keiji. It’s nice to meet you, Oikawa-san.”

Tooru finds the pair really interesting; they are the polar opposite of each other. Bokuto is loud, energetic and too masculine, while Akaashi is polite, timid, and on the pretty side. Anyone with a functioning eyesight will see how strong their bond is. There is no way they are not soulmates. They are made for each other, no one can convince him otherwise.

“Alright, alright!” Kuroo manages to kill the romantic mood by simply letting his existence be known. “Okay, now everybody knows who’s who, let’s team up! Grand King and I can’t stand each other, and Bokuto wants to try spiking Oikawa’s tosses, so I’ll be Akaashi’s partner today.”

Bokuto _hoots_ then drags Tooru to their side of their court, explaining the kinds of tosses that work for him best. Tooru attentively listens to Bokuto while they prepare to warm up, his mind already filled with strategies they could use during the game.

After the warm-ups, Bokuto suddenly tells Tooru, “Gotta warn you about Kuroo. He’s the devil incarnate on the court, so don’t let him annoy you!”

Tooru just shrugs it off. “I deal with him every day, don’t worry.” But he still keeps Bokuto’s advice in mind.

And he is right to do it. Kuroo is indeed a demon on court.

Even if this is not an official match, Tooru was challenged to let Bokuto spike through Kuroo’s blocks. It was Bokuto who advised him not to get provoked, but he was the one who’s easily affected by Kuroo’s taunts! In addition, as much as he hates to admit it, Kuroo is indeed one good blocker, and his combo with Akaashi is quite impressive. They are more of the reliable, all-around players; they would often switch roles when needed. Unlike him and Bokuto, who are far more experienced in the pro league than the other two are, they are stuck with being a setter-spiker duo most of the time.

On the bright side, it was really a blast to toss for Bokuto, who can be unpredictable depending on his mood. It was like adjusting to Iwaizumi, Matsukawa and Hanamaki in one person. Really brings back memories. He tries not to move too much, but he's getting more engrossed in the game, and he's naturally competitive, so he's been unconsciously showing off. He will just deal with the consequences later.

However, Kuroo is a different case. He has encountered blockers of different personalities, and many of them are big bullies during the game. Tooru is used to dealing with these kinds of blockers, but Kuroo does an especially good job at aggravating him.

It must be because they don’t really get along well outside the court. So, he’s trying his best not to let Kuroo get into his head, no matter how much he wants to slam the ball right into his face.

Which doesn’t seem to be a bad idea.

It is now his turn to serve. Since it’s been almost a year since he had last played seriously, it took him quite a while to regain his playing sense. And now that he’s already used to moving around, he thinks he can already pull off his signature serve.

Kuroo watches him with that arrogant smirk of his. Oh, yes, they will see if Kuroo can keep that expression up especially after Tooru takes him by surprise.

Breathing in, he locks on Kuroo as his target before throwing the ball up and gives it his all as he hits it towards Kuroo’s direction with a loud, satisfying sound.

_Ha! In your face!_

  
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Shouts of concern invade his senses. He tries opening his eyes, but the pain around his forehead and nose make it difficult. Slowly, as he tries to adjust his fuzzy vision, the voices around him are starting to get clearer.

“Bro! That was one nasty serve! Your nose is bleeding!” Tetsurou cringes hearing Bokuto’s blaring voice, which, he notices, still has a tinge of laughter. He tries to laugh with Bokuto, but his nose starts aching badly, so it ends up sounding like a pained snort .

He hears Akaashi hiss at Bokuto to not make him laugh. That makes him want to laugh even more.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, Kuroo! I didn’t mean it!” A shadow that leans closer speaks with an anxious voice.

Just as two hands nervously touch his face, his vision clears out completely, revealing the worried— _and pretty???_ —face of Oikawa.

“Kuroo, can you hear me? How are you feeling?”

Staring at Oikawa’s round brown eyes— _were they always so brown??_ —Tetsurou parts his lips to answer, but pauses realizing something.

The pain is gone.


	2. Forehead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There's some dirty talk at the first part because Kuroo

Tetsurou stifles a yawn by covering his mouth. His eyes feel swollen and heavy, and he has this urge to yawn about every minute. He has already drunk two cups of black coffee, yet they just won’t work on him.

This is Oikawa’s fault. He had stayed up all night replaying the scenes that took place after the volleyball match that he interrupted.

See, after Oikawa’s hands left his face, the pain on his nose and forehead suddenly came rushing back as if he had been hit by a brick instead. Although, it was funny to see Oikawa panicking and fussing over him that he had to calm the guy down despite being injured himself.

Akaashi, bless him, remained composed and was the one who had the common sense to get him to sit up, take out a handkerchief and use it to pinch his nose to stop the bleeding. But then, probably inspired by Akaashi’s quick thinking, Oikawa ran to the nearby convenience store to buy him a pack of ice and a hand towel. Bokuto was totally useless.

In the end, Bokuto and Akaashi took him home because he was still a bit light-headed, and he refused to be brought to the hospital. To be fair, Oikawa was the first to make that offer, but Akaashi reasoned that he and Bokuto live closer to Tetsurou. So, Oikawa gave in.

But dang, Oikawa’s jump serve was really something. He was used to receiving different kinds of serves, but Oikawa’s was probably the most remarkable one—his face can attest to that. Even with Oikawa claiming that he hasn’t played pro in years, the jump serve was so swift that the ball had gone with the wind, and suddenly just implanted itself on Tetsurou’s poor, handsome face. If Oikawa did it on purpose, then his accuracy is on point. 

On another note, he would normally just brush off the injury and get on with the game, but he was suddenly no longer up for it.

It wasn't because of the injury; something else was bothering him. He knew he wasn’t just imagining the pain fading away when Oikawa touched him. It was true, because he became extremely conscious of his surroundings at that moment. Everything felt clear. But, the question is: why?

 _”Tecchan!”_ Tetsurou snaps out of his thoughts hearing some of his students call his attention. Ah, he forgot that he is supposed to be facilitating a surprise quiz. He’d be damned if the boogers took that chance to cheat, and he wouldn’t know.

“Why were you staring at the wall?” The student in front asked. 

But before he can respond, one female student yells, “Aww, he’s missing Tooru!”

Tetsurou groans when the girls giggle and _whisper_ to each other. Actually, Oikawa had called in sick today, though the Head Faculty didn’t disclose the reason. Of course, there is no way in hell will he miss that annoying man. It’s a good thing for him since he doesn’t want to see his face right now. He’s still kind of pissed off at Oikawa for almost breaking his nose.

He will surely get his revenge once Oikawa reports back to work.

“I think you’re all done because you’re talking a lot now! Pass your papers forward!” Tetsurou gleefully announces, laughing when he gets a chorus of whines from his students.

  
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“Good morning!” Tetsurou cheerfully says to his fellow teachers, who greet him back. He stops before his desk, seeing the cup of fresh coffee and bread in a paper wrap arranged neatly. A grin breaks on his face as he sits down and turns to the brooding man next to him.

The man who sent him a text last night to tell him that he will be taking the punishment instead for accidentally injuring him. _Heh, 48-46._

“If you dare make me do embarrassing things, I will choke you.” Oikawa tells him in a low voice without glancing his way.

Ooh, how scary. “That, your kink?”

This time, Oikawa finally looks at him, his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Oh, yes. Strangling you is a huge turn-on,” the man wearing perfectly-ironed bright clothes hisses, obviously not wanting the other teachers to hear their conversation.

“Hmm. Better tie me up, then.”

“And I will stuff your mouth so no one will hear you scream.”

It is a bad idea to sip his coffee that time, for he had almost spit it out. Tetsurou didn’t know that the Grand King had it in him to be this nonchalant while exchanging dark jokes.

“Wow, okay. I give up, Kinky-kawa! Have mercy on me!” Tetsurou puts his arms up mockingly and slightly rolls the chair away. Normally, he would not back down without a fight, especially since dark jokes are his forte. However, Oikawa had completely caught him off guard. In the one whole year of knowing Oikawa, he had thought that the guy was too goody-goody and conservative, considering that he would throw a fit when Tetsurou was in a mood for some dirty jokes.

Well, it could be his awesome influence, or Oikawa is finally showing his true colors. Either way, he's not complaining. The other teachers can be too nice and boring.

As soon as they hear the bell, Oikawa gathers his things and gets up, but what Tetsurou didn’t expect is for Oikawa to stop behind him and whisper in his ear like a criminal.

“47-48, _Tetsu-chan_.”

Tetsurou merely gawks at his fellow teacher, thinking that it should be illegal for Oikawa to talk dirty to him.

The next three days will surely get interesting.

  
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And so, the game begins.

Oikawa has already learned to be wary of him ever since they've declared war on each other last year. And because of their deal, Oikawa is especially guarded now. The guy is probably thinking that Tetsurou will pop out of nowhere, so Oikawa is most likely watching out for him.

Well, Oikawa hasn't seen all of what Tetsurou can do.

Tetsurou leaves Oikawa alone for the first part of the day. Knowing that Oikawa will stay too paranoid during his classes is enough, although it would be really amusing to see that himself. Also, if he doesn’t bother Oikawa for a long time, the guy may put his guard down a little bit, and that’s the exact moment he will attack.

So, he picks up Oikawa from High School Class 2-D’s room. Perfect timing that he doesn’t have a class before lunch.

The moment Oikawa slides the door open and sees Tetsurou leaning against the window opposite the door, Oikawa stands by the entrance frozen, not even noticing that the class has already gathered nearby, anticipating for the next events.

Tetsurou hates to disappoint, so a good show they shall receive.

“Lunch?” He asks Oikawa, and the students suddenly cause a ruckus, finally shaking Oikawa from his stupor. Wow, he should have brought a flower or something.

His face about to flare in anger, Oikawa takes a deep breath, then faces the students with his practiced pretty boy smile that always gets on Tetsurou's nerves. “Don’t misunderstand. I lost a bet, so I’m buying him lunch, that’s all!” Oh, how Tetsurou hates it when Oikawa acts all princely in front of the students.

As the younger ones express their disappointment, Oikawa turns to him, grinning smugly, and mouths, _’48-48.’_

But well, Tetsurou knew Oikawa would say this. And so, without further ado, he launches a lethal attack.

"Yeah, Oikawa's my slave for three days!" He proudly announces, internally celebrating watching Oikawa turn pale while the students rejoice.

_49-48._

  
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So far, this has been the lunch break he has enjoyed the most.

Wanting to make the next three days be Oikawa's most memorable moments in school ever, Tetsurou forces Oikawa to buy him lunch at the cafeteria _and_ eat with him there. Oikawa, obviously left with no choice, keeps shooting Tetsurou deadly glares that would rival Piccolo's eye lasers.

What Oikawa doesn't know is that Kuroo is, and will always be, a cat. And cats are the supreme creatures, and thus are immune to all evil attacks even from the Grand Demon King himself.

Just like every king, Oikawa is now the center of attention in the cafeteria, especially since the king has become the slave of the god. Surely, more rumors about them will spread like wildfire. Good thing the administration board of this international school is younger than the usual, hence is more lenient and open-minded on issues like this. It's mostly just for the students' entertainment, anyway.

Because Tetsurou is a big fan of drama, he takes advantage of this situation to satisfy both his agenda and his students. After contemplating for two days, he came up with a hypothesis based on what happened last Sunday, although it is something that he would want to be false. And now is the right time to start on his research.

"You're pale. Are you still sick?" Tetsurou swiftly places the back of his hand on the forehead of Oikawa, who immediately slaps his hand away.

Oikawa is probably cursing him now, but he can't hear the other guy over his thoughts.

Why didn't he feel anything?

  
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He takes every chance to touch Oikawa and confirm his guess.

A poke on the cheek, a shoulder bump, or even a pat on the back, Tetsurou does all them randomly and he knows Oikawa's patience is running thin. He can tell by the broadening of Oikawa's curse vocabulary.

But he persists in trying to prove his hypothesis false. You don't just test something once to accurately conclude a research. The experiment has to be done in varied conditions multiple times for data comparison.

So, even if it means ruining his relationship with Oikawa further and, maybe, putting his dignity on the line, Tetsurou keeps touching Oikawa.

Still, the sensation from before hasn't come back, and Oikawa is also not showing any reactions aside from anger.

Was he really just hallucinating back then?

Although, come to think of it, isn't this supposed to be a good thing?

Tetsurou massages the spot between his eyes. He had been too distracted while checking test papers that he was able to finish them late. Now, he is left alone in the faculty room, with the light from outside already painted orange.

Yawning, he stands up and makes his way out of the building. The lack of sleep finally took its toll on him, so his head feels like bursting open. See, since he was young, Tetsurou makes sure to always sleep before 10 in the evening; otherwise, he will suffer from headache the whole day, usually. He's actually surprised he had only felt it after classes ended. It's probably the adrenaline of experimenting on Oikawa having already worn out.

Speaking of Oikawa, the guy is now standing before him, looking like he has seen a ghost. Shouldn’t Tetsurou be the one who’s more surprised?

"Why are you still here?" Oikawa asks, slightly panting. He must have ran on the way.

Too tired to give a verbal response, Tetsurou merely shrugs his shoulders, but that movement causes his head to spin.

In an instant, the headache and dizziness fade.

Snapping his eyes open, Tetsurou finds Oikawa, whose face is uncomfortably close to him, holding his arm.

"Hey, are you okay?" Oikawa asks and gently touches his forehead. "You don't seem to have a fever."

For the first time in his life, Tetsurou runs out of words.

_  
"Hey, Tsukki, how did you find out that Kageyama is your soulmate?" Tetsurou had decided to ask Tsukishima one night they were out drinking because Tsukishima was missing Kageyama but won't admit it._

_Tsukishima paused, either weighing the pros and cons of telling Tetsurou or trying to remember the event. It was most likely the former. "We had this intense fight at the beginning of second year. It was so bad that we yelled at each other, but I got tired of it, so I walked out. Tobio grabbed me, then we both suddenly calmed down. Like, we deflated."_

__  


Tetsurou nods slightly, and Oikawa releases his hold on him.

_  
  
"And when you let go?"_

_"I felt the anger coming back."  
_

  


The world is spinning again and he wants to split his head open just to stop the ache. Instead, he clutches on Oikawa’s arm.

_  
  
He knew that a soulmate's touch has complex, sometimes almost unique, conditions for each pair. Just like this._

_"So, you just calm down when you touch?"  
_

  


Once again, the pain is gone.

  
  
_"It only takes effect when one or both of us are upset. If I touch him when I'm not angry, nothing changes."_  


  


He needs to call for an emergency bro meeting, ASAP.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dw, now that Kuroo has somewhat gotten a confirmation, there will be more KuroOi interactions!
> 
> Also, yay for emergency bro meeting!


	3. Ears

Beeping sounds echo in the room as few screens pop up on Tetsurou’s own phone screen. They were then replaced by voices of different volume from his friends.

Tetsurou comfortably leans on his bed’s headboard, adjusting his phone on his handy-dandy lazy neck phone holder and putting on his earphones. Although his headache has gone down a bit after taking some medicine, his body still feels quite heavy. If the situation weren’t dire, he would have gone straight to bed.

“Gentlemen, I sincerely thank you for heeding to my sudden request at a work night." Tetsurou starts, noting how Bokuto’s eyes can still look sparkly even behind a slightly blurry screen.

 _"What's the emergency, bro?!"_ His burly friend excitedly asks the same time a groan passes through the speaker, _"Again, why am I included here."_ The spectacled blond complains, despite still attending these video call sessions.

Bokuto seems to be in a hotel room. If he remembers correctly, the Black Jackals are in Hokkaido for a game. Meanwhile, Tsukishima is in his plain, boring bedroom. Kenma, of course, has his video turned off, but he can hear the battle sounds from Kenma's computer. Akaashi only joins them when he's with Bokuto.

"I have an announcement to make!” Talking actually adds to his headache, so he decides to lower his voice down. “It pains me to inform you that I think I have finally found my soulmate."

Cue short pause.

 _"NICE!”_ Bokuto’s face draws closer to the screen. _“But why does it hurt you, bro?"_

"Because it is none other than… drumroll, please..." Bokuto dutifully mimics a drumroll sound. Tetsurou takes a deep breath before finally dropping the bomb, "...the Grand King."

Tetsurou totally expects the loud, dramatic gasp from Bokuto and the amused snort from Tsukishima. What he doesn’t expect is Kageyama peeking from the side of Tsukishima's screen, his eyes wide and curious.

 _"Oikawa-san is Kuroo-san's soulmate?"_ He didn’t know Kageyama is home. Perhaps that’s the reason for Tsukishima’s extra grumpiness?

 _"Can you not butt in someone else’s conversation?"_ They hear Tsukishima hiss at Kageyama, who just ignores him. Watching the interaction then makes Tetsurou realize something.

“Hey, Tsukki. If you and Kags don’t get angry when touching, does that mean you can’t have angry sex?”

 _"Wow, this is really the first thing I get to hear??"_ Their mandarin-haired friend jumps on the bed beside Bokuto and glares at the screen, presumably at Kageyama.

 _"Fuck off, boke!"_ Kageyama barks while Tsukishima palms his face in frustration.

 _"Ah! Grumpyama hasn’t drunk his milk yet?"_ Ah, the familiar noise from the Karasuno bunch never fails to put him in a good mood, especially once Bokuto starts joining in.

_“TSUKKI! Answer Kuroo’s question!"_

_"No."_

"Is that your answer or not? Kags!" Tetsurou turns to the raven-haired guy instead. Tsukishima is such a kill-joy.

 _"Well, no—"_ Kageyama supplies, but is unfortunately cut by his partner.

_"Oh my god, just go there and feed the cat."_

"He's angry! Touch him! Touch him!" Tetsurou and Bokuto cheer when Kageyama places a hand on Tsukishima’s head, and the blond relaxes right away, as shown by his shoulders sagging.

 _"Tsukishima's blushing!!!!"_ One of his friends commented, but Tetsurou doesn’t recognize who since he is too busy laughing, even when Tsukishima logged out of the group chat. Their video chat is always so messy, with Tsukishima always leaving in the middle, and Tetsurou wouldn’t really have it any other way. It is a refreshing part of his usually repetitive day-to-day life.

 _"Never gets old! Imagine our reaction when it first happened!"_ Hinata yells, still recovering from the events. Tetsurou, too, is now feeling the consequences of laughing too much after taking a painkiller. His head is quite light as if he’s high and there's been a soft ringing in his ears, but there’s no way he’s ending the call.

"I know, right?? He couldn't even glare at Kageyama!" Tetsurou replies.

 _“Anyway, how did you find out, bro?”_ Bokuto then brings the topic back to his soulmate issue, and the thought of Oikawa has effectively dampened his mood.

Tetsurou then tells them about the Sunday volleyball match, about him thinking that the pain subdued when Oikawa touched him, and about him trying all ways to touch Oikawa but nothing was changing, until that fateful meeting in the late afternoon.

So far, he thinks his situation is the same as Tsukishima’s. The soulmate’s touch only takes effect when one or both of them are in physical pain, which would explain the reason why Tetsurou felt nothing had changed when they touched during the first part of the day, and why Oikawa had no reaction other than anger.

“I’m not a hundred percent sure yet. I will be sure to take more tests.”

 _“Kuro, Oikawa is not a test study.”_ Tetsurou isn’t even surprised hearing Kenma speak for the first time the call started. The guy never joins in when they get too rowdy. Now, this is Kenma’s role in the group. After everyone has fooled around, that’s the time Kenma, the reluctant voice of reason, comes in.

“For me, he is. I don’t want this, yo!” This is true; although he wasn’t really expecting anything about his soulmate, Oikawa was probably the last person he would ever suspect of being his soulmate. Everything about Oikawa just doesn't sit well with him. Tetsurou had never gotten along with guys who seemed too full of themselves. Call him judgmental, but that was the impression Oikawa left him, and it stayed.

To be fair, it wasn’t really hate at first sight, as he would usually claim. Oikawa was a bit okay when he introduced himself to the faculty. He was polite, and he dressed neat—the guy had obviously captured the female teachers that instant. He even consistently bowed while greeting each teacher. Tetsurou was, in fact, excited to meet him since he already knew that they would be deskmates. Plus, Oikawa is from Miyagi, and they are the same age!

However, Oikawa wouldn’t talk to him. At first, Tetsurou thought he was just shy and nervous; it was his first day, after all. But as days passed by, Oikawa seemed intent on avoiding him. He kept declining his offer to grab lunch together or hang out after work with obviously fake smiles, until Tetsurou had just given up because of how annoyed he was of Oikawa.

He remembers telling Tsukishima about his new co-worker from Miyagi, finding out later on that Tsukishima actually knew him because he was also, coincidentally, a volleyball player in high school. And that Hinata apparently calls him ‘The Grand King’ for being Kageyama’s senior. Oikawa’s actions suddenly made sense. Was he not worthy of His Majesty’s attention, then?

He doesn’t remember when or how it happened, probably when he first called him ‘The Grand King,’ but eventually, their interactions had become how it is right now.

With a not-funny twist of fate, Oikawa ends up as his possible soulmate.

_"Well, what are you going to do about it?"_

  
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He arrives a bit late on purpose, and it turns out to be a wise decision since his breakfast and coffee cup are the only things waiting for him in his area. The owner of the desk next to his has already gone to class.

However, on the cup, he notices a familiar neon yellow post-it that says: _You're late. Are you now feeling well?_ in Oikawa's annoyingly neat handwriting.

Tetsurou tears the note off the cup and puts it in his drawer. And when he brings up the warm paper cup to his face, he smells the aroma of green tea, instead of his usual coffee.

Where is the real Oikawa? Nice is not synonymous to Oikawa. Why the sudden change in attitude? This is not Oikawa. No way.

Goodness, is Oikawa born to make his life hard?

He tries avoiding Oikawa for the day; never mind their agreement. It would just feel awkward to be with Oikawa after finding out they _may_ be soulmates. He would probably make a fool out of himself by not looking at Oikawa or not talking to him.

To his surprise, the Grand King himself corners him come lunch time. Shouldn't Oikawa be glad that Tetsurou is not bothering him?

"Let's go to a restaurant for lunch. Oikawa tells him seriously, hugging his clipboard tight. Tetsurou tries getting a grip; he really can't look at Oikawa in the eye! "No complaints! I don't want you humiliating me again in front of the students."

Good. "Let's not eat, then." He proposes, but Oikawa scowls at him.

"The hell are you talking about? I'm supposed to treat you to lunch."

Tetsurou feels a headache coming again. He hadn't slept well last night either. Damn Kenma for making him think so hard. Also, why is Oikawa insisting to eat with him now when days ago, they couldn't even stay in one room without glaring at each other?

"Just buy me something."

"I'm not your damn servant. Just let me do my end of the deal!"

Ah, so it was Oikawa's pride talking. Why was he even surprised?

Sighing, Tetsurou waves a hand nonchalantly. Conversing with Oikawa like this is indeed better. "Hello, you're my slave, remember? In fact, why don't you call me 'master' hm?"

Just like that, Angrykawa is back. "Over my dead body!"

The headache is getting a little stronger, and Tetsurou has the urge to grab Oikawa. But there is no way he will be dependent on Oikawa when it comes to this.

Shrugging, he starts walking away, saying, "Come on, slave. Surprise your master today."

Tetsurou bites his lip to stop the smile threatening to form as Oikawa curses him while following.

_49-48._

  
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After the interesting lunch—Oikawa treated him to some French restaurant—things have been gradually returning to normal, at least for Tetsurou. They went back to arguing and glaring all day, teasing whenever they passed by each other's classroom, and Nicekawa didn't make another appearance. Although Tetsurou still can't look straight into Oikawa's face.

It was quite too normal that on the last day of their agreement, Tetsurou visited Oikawa at his last class and gave him a sock. Oikawa didn't get the reference at first, but when Tetsurou exclaimed, "Tooru is free!" it finally dawned on the English teacher, judging by the quick flaring of his nostrils.

_"You know I can hit you with a book now, right?"_

_"How violent! There are students around, Oikawa-san!"_

Oikawa hastily ended the class and walked by him to get away from the excited chatters of the students. Tetsurou ignored the fact that Oikawa didn't throw the sock back at him.

On another note, whenever he was not feeling well, his hands would automatically reach Oikawa. Sometimes, he could resist it, but there were also times when his body just moved on its own. To cover it up, he would usually just pretend to annoy Oikawa. He would then proceed to poke Oikawa’s cheek, for example, since he had learned last year that Oikawa hates being poked.

He doesn't appreciate how his body reacts to this system, and it’s not just because it was Oikawa. It was just he has always lived treating his own sickness or injury; he knows how to relieve any pain he’s feeling. Having parents who are barely there, he had learned at a young age how to be independent. Being in his grandparents’ care didn’t change it, for he didn’t want to be a bother. On the court, he's all about teamwork. He _can_ care for other people. He even wanted to be a doctor. But when it comes to his life, he prefers dealing with it on his own. He doesn't know how to feel becoming reliant on someone else. One reason why his relationships didn't work out.

Besides, it’s highly unlikely that Oikawa would be like a romantic partner to him. He won’t probably be a sworn enemy either considering their touch conditions. Tetsurou doesn’t actually hate Oikawa as much anymore, but he’d rather die than admit it to anyone. Ever since their master-slave agreement, they had been talking/arguing a lot more, although he wouldn’t still consider them friends. Just a little more than acquaintances.

Which, of course, is good for Tetsurou’s sanity, since he is still kind of distancing himself from Oikawa. With how many times he had made contact with Oikawa, he is now 100 percent sure that they are, well, connected. He’s the only one who knows, though, and there’s no way he is telling Oikawa.

If he tries to run away, destiny will still bring them together—isn’t that how this thing works?

Well then, he will just keep defying fate. He has always been a Science person, anyway.

  
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Yawning, Tooru steps down the escalator, watching the train doors close and leave the station. As he falls in line, he looks at the clock and notes that the next train will be arriving after four minutes. The station is a little bit more crowded than usual due to it being a Friday night when workers are heading home at the same time, so he wonders if he could get on the next train.

He'd thrown in quizzes in some classes earlier, so he had stayed until late in school to check test papers. He swore to never bring his work home, so he always makes sure to finish all his tasks before leaving.

Since it looks like he will not be boarding soon, Tooru pulls out his earphones from his pocket. Just as he’s about to plug them in his ears, he spots a familiar rooster hair standing about two lines away from his. Come to think of it, Kuroo also worked late, but he left earlier than Tooru. Looking at the eco bag on his arm, his co-teacher most probably dropped by another place to buy something. See, lately, he had been getting along with the man pretty well. He's surprisingly welcoming of the casual bantering that no longer has any bite. But don't get him wrong; he still sees Kuroo as an insufferable jerk for playing pranks on him.

Although, the longer he stares at the Science teacher, the more he observes that Kuroo is staring off in space.

A bright idea pops in his mind. Well, well, well, it looks like the time for revenge has come.

Placing his earphones back in his pocket, he sneaks behind the unassuming Kuroo (after making sure no one's standing behind Kuroo, of course), and lightly blows on his ear.

Kuroo sharply turns to him, holding his ear. The surprised look quickly turns to a sour, constipated one as Tooru muffles his laughter by covering his mouth.

“What the fuck is that for?!” Kuroo hisses while looking around, still careful not to catch the attention of the other passengers.

Tooru tries speaking in between hiccups, “Your face—funny—weird—should have—camera!”

Kuroo pauses for quite some time, obviously stopping himself from snapping, and it only makes Tooru burst into a fit of giggles. 

“Are you done laughing?” Kuroo asks sarcastically.

Just in time, they hear the coming of the next train, which appears to be less crowded than the previous one. Luckily, they no longer have to wait for another one.

Kuroo turns away from him with an annoyed huff, and that’s when he sees how red Kuroo’s ears have become.

_So, he can be cute sometimes._

_54-53._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo's sensitive ears were inspired by Hana Yori Dango. :)


	4. Neck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: thirst

When one is asked what part of a person’s body attracts them the most, people would typically answer something on the face like the eyes or nose. Or perhaps, the arms, chest, legs, or even the height.

But not Tooru. His answer would be the neck. There is something about long and slim necks that catches Tooru’s eyes, especially when the veins on the side of a tanned neck appear at every movement. His eyes would also often drift towards the slow bobbing of the Adam’s apple, then he would subconsciously swallow a mouthful of whatever he’s drinking—if there’s any.

Just like now.

Several heads turn to him at the loud slurping sound he had just made. He had been too distracted to notice that his coffee was already empty. But meeting Kuroo’s curious eyes suddenly makes him feel much more conscious.

"We know how much you and Kuroo don't get along, but please don't stare at him as if you want to kill him inside the school." The Head Teacher tells him, reminding him that they are currently in the faculty room having their discussion on the upcoming final exams. Tooru feels the back of his neck burning; he was quite unaware that he had been staring at Kuroo’s neck which was probably just a coincidence since he has to look past Kuroo to see the Head Teacher.

He couldn’t help it, though; summer has already arrived, so Kuroo has started wearing his loose, yet still decent short-sleeved shirts, with its two top buttons unfastened, giving everyone a sneak peek of his clearly defined collarbones—also one of Tooru’s weaknesses.

He hears a boisterous laugh from the person beside him. "Oh, this is just his ki—" Tooru immediately shuts him up by firmly wrapping an arm around Kuroo’s neck. 

"Sorry! I'll just plan it outside!" Tooru chuckles awkwardly, his thoughts a mess now that he is touching Kuroo’s neck—half-hugging him, to be exact. A part of him wants to keep his word and actually tighten his grip, but another weird, perverse part of him wants to merely prolong the contact instead.

He may or may not have kept his arm locked (tighter) for a bit longer, but he will never admit it.

  
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The sudden thirst for Kuroo had gotten worse in the following days.

He doesn’t think of Kuroo all the time, nor use his image to relieve himself, no. It’s not that horrifying yet. Tooru’s eyes would only often linger on the taller man, and he realized he was not just attracted to Kuroo’s neck; he also liked looking at Kuroo’s broad back, slim waist, long legs, and even his stupid hair.

Objectively, he had always thought Kuroo was attractive, and he admits this also happened on their first summer together as workmates, considering the Science teacher’s choice of summer clothing. So, he’s not too surprised at his reaction now. Kuroo is annoying, but to his credit, he’s easy on the eyes.

The difference now is that they have become considerably closer this year. Tooru can even say they are almost friends now, so he has started to recognize more of Kuroo’s pleasing features without considering his trash personality.

Still, he wants to choke the guy.

Oh, he can’t wait for summer vacation to start.

  
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All test papers scored and distributed, all grades computed and encoded for the students and parents to see—the first semester is over, and summer vacation officially begins!

And this calls for a celebration, especially for the teachers who have worked so hard for the success of the first semester. Tooru still can't believe how fast time flies; that he's already in his second year of teaching, a profession that had never crossed his mind. Also, the first term is usually the fastest for Tooru, since everyone is still in the adjustment period, and the bulk of the school work usually goes to the succeeding terms where most activities happen.

Now, he is in a spacious karaoke room with his co-teachers, laughing as the normally quiet Home Economics teacher fails to sing a children's song. Almost everyone is already under the alcohol's influence.

"Oi, is that all the Grand King can take? More!" Kuroo slams a vodka-filled shot glass in front of Tooru.

Well, everyone is tipsy except for Kuroo. Even Tooru is quite light-headed, like all his senses are heightened despite every movement seeming like it is played in slow motion.

Since Tooru is feeling generous with the peasant, he picks the glass up and takes it in one shot, earning a playful howl from the guy beside him. He, too, slams the glass down in front of Kuroo, grinning at him smugly, never mind the sudden throb in his head. Why is Kuroo even sitting beside him? They were several seats away from each other just now, weren't they?

But that's the least of his concerns now. Kuroo could just have strong alcohol tolerance or he isn't drinking too much, Tooru ponders as he sips on a slice of lemon. Therefore, he fills the shot glass and slides it closer to Kuroo, smirking at him in challenge.

As expected, Kuroo is not one to back down from a challenge, especially if it's from him. He easily does a bottoms-up, and once again, Tooru can't help but watch Kuroo's throat bob up and down. His fingers twitch in anticipation especially when Kuroo tilts his head up higher, thus exposing his glorious neck to a deprived Tooru.

Tooru tries not to whine after Kuroo assumes his previous position.

Even in his state, he accepts the glass offered to him and chugs it down quickly, wincing at the burning liquid taste flowing down his throat.

Tooru usually doesn't drink a lot. His first sip of alcohol was actually in Argentina with his teammates, and he was rather not fond of it because of the awful events that happened afterwards. Apparently, when he gets smashed, he can still remember everything despite the lack of control on his body—and that was what he wanted to avoid as much as possible before. He was a foreigner in a country with people who speak a different language. He was too vulnerable there; he had to take care of himself.

It was something he took seriously, even in Japan, his home.

But now, he is suddenly conflicted with all these unwelcome thoughts of Kuroo and hearing him sing for the first time had really done him some serious damage. Hence, he had been downing shots of whatever drink catches his eyes.

Probably why he ends up in a drinking competition with Kuroo.

They hadn't verbally agreed on it, though. Clearly, the last man standing wins and gets a point on their not-too-active-anymore tally.

  
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Everything happened too fast.

He was sitting far away from danger—named Oikawa—And the next thing he knew, Oikawa had somehow landed on the space beside him, and they had finished about ten shots each.

Even before that, Tetsurou already had a few drinks in, so after the tenth shot, he can feel the effects slightly kicking in. Still, it's nothing he can't handle.

However, Oikawa had finally unleashed the wildness in him. One teacher thought it would be amusing to see a drunken Oikawa sing, so Oikawa was handed a microphone which he gladly accepted. The drinking competition has long since forgotten.

Currently, the man is in the middle of singing a Rihanna hit with the female History teacher who is obviously into Oikawa, if the intense stare and not-too-subtle touches are anything to go by. Women nowadays really surprise him with their bolder seduction moves.

Oikawa doesn’t seem to mind—actually, the man is most probably too intoxicated to notice the malice behind the skinship. In spite of this, Tetsurou still feels some sting in his chest caused by the bond between him and Oikawa. Of course, he chooses to ignore it by drowning himself with alcohol and engaging in a conversation with his officemates.

Still, Oikawa remains oblivious to Tetsurou’s inner struggles. The English teacher then begins denying the female teachers their most-awaited bonding moment, because he is always next to Tetsurou, and he keeps talking to Tetsurou. What’s worse is that whenever Oikawa gets a hold of a microphone, he would always sing to Tetsurou, regardless of the lyrics—the songs were _’Toxic,’ ‘Poker Face’_ and _’Love Story’_.

Now, they are probably getting more fans especially from the female faculty. It seems they aren’t bothered by Oikawa’s actions because they know nothing is ever going to happen between them. _Hah,_ if they only knew the true nature of their relationship. Not that Tetsurou has already accepted their fate.

Aside from the singing, Oikawa just likes touching him—on the arm, the back, the shoulders, and the neck, especially. Tetsurou can’t focus on having fun and relaxing, which were supposed to be the main purpose of this karaoke session. He’s always conscious of the way Oikawa breathes on his ear, the way he brushes his fingertips on his skin, and the way he smiles at him, as if he’s inviting him to something… forbidden. But he’d rather not think about it. It’s just his body reacting to his soulmate.

It turns out their drinking competition is still ongoing, with the other younger male teachers joining—totally unfair since they already joined halfway. So, more alcohol was passed around, and several drinks later, Tetsurou no longer minds being close to Oikawa.

He is still aware of what is happening, but he’s slowly loosening up and sometimes initiating contact between them to the point where people who don’t know them would think they are best friends. 

When he feels a headache coming, Tetsurou shamelessly clutches on Oikawa. He discovered a few weeks ago that prolonging the touch at the first strike of pain can help reduce the effect. He hasn’t fully tested it, but it probably has something to do with the body relaxing during the contact. He had theorized that the touch only relaxes their muscles, nerves, bones and joints, that’s why it helps ease physical pain.

With that said, their touch doesn’t make them sober. Proven and tested today.

It’s good that he can use intoxication as an excuse for the unusual behavior, though he would definitely regret his actions once he gets sober.

To be fair, regardless of the prior awkwardness he felt, he admits he is having a great time. It had been a while since he hung out with his co-teachers, and being on good terms with Oikawa wasn’t actually a bad thing. They liked singing the same songs in karaoke, they both liked eating _kebab_ and other greasy food while drinking, and they had come up with so many drinking challenges that the other teachers were also beat.

Of course, before one of them passes out, the principal calls the celebration off. Everybody whines in protest, but then again, none of them brought a car except the principal, so it would be difficult to send unconscious people home.

Now that he has already taken a whiff of fresh, clean air, Tetsurou can slowly feel his senses working normally again. He has always liked the scent the after-rain gives off; it helps calm him down and makes him want to just lie down all day sipping coffee or tea. Sadly, he usually had work whenever it rained.

It's a Friday night, so many people are still hanging around the area to de-stress with friends or coworkers. It's already past midnight, though, so he would have to take the bus and walk longer to get home, which is totally not a bad thing except if it pours again.

A few minutes later, he sees his co-workers approaching, most probably still high with all the alcohol they have consumed and the karaoke session. The older teachers are chatting with the principal and head faculty, while the younger ones are behind them, laughing about something. As usual, Oikawa is in the middle of the group surrounded by the ladies.

"Oikawa-san, you're coming with us, right?" A female voice rings in his ears from a distance. Tetsurou immediately looks away and tries not to listen in.

However, Oikawa's voice suddenly sounds loud and close? "Sorry, girls. I'm going with Kuroo."

Tetsurou doesn't know if he has heard it right, so he snaps his head to the side, only to find Oikawa right beside him.

Still pondering whether Oikawa did say it, the guy already made a follow-up: "We get on the same train!"

Which is true, Tetsurou mentally supports the statement, but then realizes he wasn't just hearing things earlier. Oikawa is using him to get away from his admirers.

"You and Kuroo-san can take a little detour!" The girls all too happily suggest. He knew the girls had huge crushes on him and Oikawa. After all, both of them are the youngest among the male faculty, and due to their athletic history, they have admittedly well-built bodies, which was why the women would often pass by their area in the faculty room wearing strong feminine scents, as if that would catch their attention. Tetsurou is too observant to not notice.

Jokes on them; Tetsurou likes fresh and natural scents better.

Anyway, back to the current issue. Tetsurou is too tired to see the ladies home, drop Oikawa at his house, _and then_ going back home. Besides, the other male faculty members also take the same route as theirs. Only Oikawa is the one who uses the same way home as him. Therefore, he takes the English teacher’s side this time.

"Well, Oika'a-kun here looks like he'll be passing out soon, so I really don't recommend that." Tetsurou declares, putting a hand on Oikawa’s shoulder, laughing at the protests that he receives. He's probably imagining it, but he feels Oikawa's shoulder relax a little.

So, after the senior staff leaves, the two of them bid their goodbyes to the disappointed women and the rest of the faculty, then walks off to the other direction.

On the way to the bus station—his companion had no idea the trains were closed, so he had to pull the guy to the right direction—Oikawa happily talks his ear off while bouncing on his feet. Tetsurou barely has to respond since the other is doing really well in holding a one-sided narration. 

However, once they’re seated in the bus, Oikawa is knocked out. Without any warning, Oikawa just casually leans on his shoulder and starts dozing off. 

Normally, he doesn't mind the role of sending the lightweights home. He had often done it during his university days, and he once had to support Bokuto alone while walking back to his apartment. He is never carrying that bulky owl again.

Now, of course, Oikawa is different from them. He's even had his fair share of lovers in the past, and got much more intimate than this, but none of them is his soulmate, who naturally gives his body some sort of reaction, like this.

It’s just his body reacting to his soulmate, Tetsurou chants in his mind. He is definitely not listening attentively to Oikawa’s soft snores. He is not aware of the breath tickling his neck. He doesn’t know that Oikawa’s hair smells like fruit. He is not trying to keep his breaths short because he's afraid a little movement might disturb his sleep. He is absolutely not enjoying the warmth radiating from Oikawa’s body because he easily gets cold. It’s just his body reacting to his soulmate.

So, relief washes all over his body hearing that they are approaching Oikawa’s stop.

Gently, he shakes Oikawa awake and whispers, “We’re at your stop.”

His body stiffens again when Oikawa snuggles closer to his neck and mumbles in a husky, sleepy voice, “Five more minutes.”

A warning bell rings inside his head. No, he is not turned on. It’s just his body reacting to his soulmate.

“We’re on the bus, Great King. Come on, I’ll walk you home."

Tetsurou tries not to make a sound when Oikawa pulls away and looks up at him with round, sleepy eyes, his lips formed into a _pout._ He almost wants to slap himself for cutting Oikawa's sleep short. 

No, it’s just his body reacting to his soulmate.

They get off the bus and Tetsurou turns to Oikawa to ask for directions; however, Oikawa is already dragging him somewhere, preferably his apartment without saying anything. The man is probably still out of it, and his body is just leading him to his destination, but does he really have to hold Tetsurou’s hand? Can’t he just tug at his sleeve like a normal person would? Ah, right. The Grand King is not a normal person.

He just hopes Oikawa doesn’t notice how sweaty his hand has become because it’s just his body reacting to his soulmate.

Ten painful minutes later, they reach the third floor of an apartment building, in front of a door labeled with ‘302’. Finally, Oikawa lets go of him and faces him, looking much more sober than he was several minutes ago.

"Why did you follow me all the way here?" Oikawa asks, voice sounding surprised.

Tetsurou can feel the steam coming out from his face. _"You dragged me all the way here.”_ he hisses while gesturing to their joined hands.

As if burned, Oikawa releases their hands and steps back, grinning sheepishly. "My bad!"

An awkward silence goes between them. There are no cars passing by, and the residents on this floor already had their lights turned off, so he can only hear their soft breaths.

"I'm not inviting you in." Oikawa mumbles after a while.

"Good." Tetsurou nods, suddenly finding the neighboring door interesting.

"But, I won't say no if you want to come in."

Tetsurou feels his patience is about to snap. The alcohol still has an effect on his system, and Oikawa making suggestive statements like that is not helping.

"Just get inside." He says, shoving his hands inside his pockets to suppress the newfound urge to touch Oikawa. His bond with Oikawa is telling him to take the offer.

Oikawa hesitates in pulling his keys from his bag, but then halts.

"I'll go in when you leave."

"Nah, I'm fine. I'll leave once you go inside."

“How gentlemanly of you.”

“I _am_ a gentleman.”

Another long pause, and this time he watches Oikawa’s expression shift from calm to frustrated.

"Okay, how about we move at the same time?" Tetsurou suggests, and sees the English teacher nod.

"'Kay."

Tetsurou then starts counting as Oikawa slots the key in the lock. "One, two, three…"

No one still moves.

"You really don't want to stay the night?" Oikawa looks back at him, his eyes wide and his expression expectant. What does Oikawa want him to say? He knows they will both regret it later on if he gives in.

Given that he’s the more reasonable one now, he stays firm with his decision. "No. Damn it, just get inside!" He twists the key and opens the door himself to push Oikawa inside.

"Fine, fine! Don't scare anyone on your way home, Kuroo-chan!" Oikawa has the nerve to tease before Tetsurou gives him the keys back and closes the door.

"Shut up!"

Tetsurou takes a deep breath to try calming his heartbeat down.

It’s just his body reacting to his soulmate.

  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  


Tooru releases a long groan getting up on his bed feeling sticky all over and stinking of alcohol and sweat. Pain immediately strikes his head at one small movement, but he forces himself to limp towards the kitchen to fill his parched throat with a much-needed ice cold water. He also needs to give his knee some TLC soon, since he seemed to have neglected it when he got home.

Sighing contentedly, Tooru takes a paracetamol from his medicine kit, hoping the headache will quickly fade.

He proceeds to wash his face on the sink, starting to feel much better due to the cool water soothing his delicate skin. Then, he catches sight of his keys carelessly lying on the kitchen counter.

At first, his mind doesn’t come up with images as to why the keys aren’t in their bowl near the TV.

But once it does, Tooru goes rigid as memories from last night come flashing back in his mind like a movie reel.

_  
The drinking competition._

_Kuroo watching him sing._

_Him sitting so close next to Kuroo._

_Kuroo singing with him._

_Him hugging Kuroo’s arm._

_Kuroo leaving with him._

_Him being overly ecstatic that Kuroo was with him._

_Kuroo pulling him by the arm._

_Him leaning on Kuroo’s shoulder._

_Also him dragging Kuroo to his apartment._

_"I won't say no if you want to come in."_

__

  


Tooru falls on the floor clutching on his head. Suddenly, the hangover is effectively drained from him, but his vision is spinning. Thinking more about the events causes his face and chest to heat up, while the rest of his body is cold and shivering.

 _Holy shit, I did all those?! To Kuroo?!_ Tooru screams mentally, and he actually wants to cry for real.

He should have expected to do something like that to Kuroo while under the influence of alcohol. That's quite understandable. Still, why? Why did he have to have such an excellent memory and remember everything that happened even when he's wasted? It would have been better if he had forgotten about it. He is never drinking again!

_  
"You really don't want to stay the night?"_  


  


Oh, someone just bury him now.

Then again, he realizes as he straightens up, he doesn't have to worry about it since he and Kuroo have always been awkward around each other. Kuroo will probably give him hell for it, but they will surely get over it fast.

  


After all, it was just his body reacting to his soulmate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not yet ready to read the last chapters, but I do know that Kuroo and Oikawa never met. T^T

**Author's Note:**

> The Teacher/Teacher AU I never knew I needed.
> 
> Injected soulmates AU too just because this is me and I can’t live without soulmate AUs.
> 
> I don't know if I'll ever include this in the narrative, so I'll just say it: Tooru and Tetsurou are around 25-26 years old here. So this is set about 3 years after the current canon date.
> 
> Always keep safe, everybody! Practice proper hygiene, and stay hydrated!


End file.
